We're All Mad
by DMLLQueen
Summary: Alice Liddell has been abused her whole life. What happens when she's had enough? Rated M for language and scenarios
1. Chapter 1

A: Hey everyone, I've had this idea for a while, and I've just recently started making this idea a reality. I have no promises on updates being punctual, but I'm trying for ever Sunday until I finish it ( if I do) Sorry to those who want me to continue Brooms and Detentions, I don't know if I'll be continuing that any more. Please don't kill me!

Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated. Flames will be ignored Blah Blah Blah...

" Alice! Alice, Help!" Someone was screaming. She tried to find them in the darkness. Because there was no telling which direction she was facing or where she needed to get, Alice started running. The agonized screams didn't stop, didn't slow. But as she ran, the voices seemed to grow quieter, quickly becoming a mere echo. Suddenly the floor fell from beneath her feet. She tried to scream, but no words escaped as she plummeted into the abyss of sightlessness.

" Don't dawdle, Alice. We'll be late." She hit the ground, quite lightly, in fact. A white rabbit in a waistcoat looked at her, silver pocket watch in hand. His pink nose twitched. Alice obediently followed him. The pair ran through a beautiful countryside. Alice thought it a bit strange that no one was out on such a lovely day. So quickly the country melted away into a dark forest of giant mushrooms. Just as quickly, the giant colorful mushrooms that blotted out the sun stopped, leaving Alice in a garden. The flowers seemed to whisper, but she decided that it must have been the wind as she continued on. Where she was going, she couldn't tell. Music alerted her that someone was a head. Alice followed the path carefully. As she turned a corner the garden opened up to a fenced yard. A funny looking man with a tall hat and a brown jackrabbit sat at an impossibly long table. There must have been three dozen chairs, of all shapes and sizes. Food and countless varieties of tea pots filled nearly every inch of the table. The hare took a drink of tea, then spit it out, quite comically, when he noticed Alice. The man jumped up, proving to be short, and by the way he maneuvered piles of hats, Alice guessed he was a hatter. He pushed through the gate, seized Alice's hand and led her through the maze of hats, of all sorts, as he talked.

" My dear, we have no room. And it's very, very rude to sit down when you haven't been invited." Alice opened her mouth to protest, but everything disappeared with a pop, leaving her alone once more. She looked around, startled by the sudden silence and the pure blackness of the world around her. She took a step back and tumbled. There was no left, no right, no up or down. Yet she could feel the wind whipping around her.

" Who's painted my roses red?!" A high pitched voice realized she was in a bush, only after the leaves and branches were parted. She was gruffly grabbed by the collar and yanked out. She was face to face with a beautiful woman, dressed in deep reds and what seemed to be the purest of whites. Around her, cards stood at attention, awaiting orders.

" Off with your head!" The queen screamed. Alice was carried off before anything else could be said. She was led through the castle, made of cards, naturally. In what she guessed was a courtyard, was a guillotine made of black wood. The blade glinted in the sun. Alice was laid on her back, looking at the thin blade, over ten feet above her neck. Alice heard drums start to beat. Slowly, smoke started to appear around her head. First blue to match the sky, then a light purple, and yellow and green. She started coughing as the vile smoke filled her lungs.

" Alice, get your lazy ass up!" Irabeth screamed in her ear, puffing white cigarette smoke into her face. Alice jerked awake, coughing. The clock next to her bed read 7 pm. The battery must be dead. " Go get me some more beer." She ordered. Alice rolled over, grumbling.

" Don't let minors buy beer." Her skin sizzled quietly as her mother pressed her cigarette into the back of Alice's neck. Alice winced, but didn't make a move to do anything.

" I don't give a fuck. Get some." Alice sighed as her Irabeth stumbled out of the tiny room.

Ten minutes later, Alice stood at the counter of the corner market.

" I'm gonna need I.D." The man said. Alice slid him a fifty.

" No you don't." The man studied her for a moment before picking up the bill.

" Enjoy your day." He said, giving her a creepy smile. She rolled her eyes, taking the bag from the counter. She walked back out into the cold spring rain. She walked quickly, trying not to take too long. Her day would suck if she wasn't quick enough for Irabeth. A gust of freezing wind pushed rain into Alice's eyes. If only her sweatshirt wasn't full of holes. Her mother was particularly fond of putting her cigarettes out with Alice's skin. She couldn't even count the little circular burns she had. Every piece of clothing Alice had was full of holes. Her high-top converse were worn thin on the bottom, her jeans ripped and stained with blood from when she couldn't evade her mother. Her shirts were usually too small, not that she would ever complain. With as much as the Wicked Witch of the West drank, Alice was lucky to get food, let alone clothes that fit. She couldn't help smiling at her little analogy. Irabeth did remind her of a witch. Her nose was slightly crooked, eyes sunk and ringed with dark circles. Alice's dark hair stuck to her forehead, making it even harder to see.

Her mind drifted back to her dream as she walked. She couldn't remember a lot, but she couldn't help thinking about the screaming at the beginning of her dream. She felt as though she recognized the voice, just couldn't place it. She tried to recall what had made the person scream. No such luck. As she drew near the hell hole she called a home, she wondered.

_What if I ran away, just didn't go home? Irabeth probably wouldn't even notice until she sobered up, which would be eventual, since I have her beer. By that time, could I be far enough away?_

This was a trick question, as there was no such thing as too far from Irabeth Liddell. The woman was a menace to society, the worst of the worst. She wouldn't be missed by anyone. Alice was suddenly struck by a brilliant thought.

" I'll kill her." She whispered, thankful that no one was around to hear her. _And it's completely possible to get away with too. _She realized with satisfaction. dropping one cigarette on the alcohol drenched carpet or counter and- " Boom." She said aloud, unable to contain her joy. She took a deep breath, lingering just outside her front door, finally deciding. She'd take it for a few more days, until she could pull off an accidental fire.

The next three days were hell as Alice got beat for ' spilling' as much highly flammable liquids as possible. Three bottles of 151 Rum, probably ten cans of spray hair shit she found in the bathroom, whatever other flammable stuff she could get her hands on. Finally, Alice dumped a whole bottle of her mom's Everclear 95% proof alcohol on her mom's bed, receiving four burns, three cuts ( from the broken alcohol bottle) and probably 15 new bruises. But it was going to be worth it. Alice kept telling herself this. _Going to be worth it. Going to be worth it._

And it was. At precisely 7:05, Alice stood over her mother, passed out on her bed. Alice had met her at the door with a beer, in which she'd put a handful of crushed sleeping pills. Alice smiled, taking out her lighter. When the damn thing wouldn't light, she went into the kitchen to get some matches. Sitting on the counter was a blue and green caterpillar. Alice squinted at it. It seemed familiar, even though she was not known to like bugs, of any kind. On any normal day, Alice wouldn't have looked any closer, but at that moment, she could have sworn that there was a small cloud of colorful- something, around it. For a reason unknown to her, she picked up the tiny animal and put it in her pocket before grabbing the match book. She struck a match and ran.


	2. Chapter 2

Police file 219

Case # 26530 Date of report 26 April 2000

Lead Investigator: Thackery Wicket

The home of Irabeth Liddell went up in a blaze this evening at 1906. The fire was called in by a Mister Carthage Willemsbee at 1907 when he noticed the smoke. By the time police and firemen arrived the house, the fire was dying down, the house having been collapsed. A girl,Alice Liddell. was outside on the curb, watching. She suffered minor burns and is currently undergoing physical and psychological analysis. Multiple bruises suggest that she was being abused. Further inspection is required. The exact cause of the fire in still unknown, though it is thought to be a gas leak. The body of the owner, Irabeth Liddell was found. The corpse is currently being examined.

We are trying to keep the issue out of the papers and off the news for the moment. The full report will be announced to the public when more information is known. Follow up report to be expected in 24 hours.

Alice couldn't believe it. She'd gotten away with it. Sure, she was a bit burned, and the police were going to make her talk to a shrink, and she'd have to ' analyzed' before going to an orphanage, but she didn't care. She had killed her wretched mother.

After all the questions, ' How often were you beat?' ( Everyday.) ' Did you go to school?' ( No.) ' How often did your mom drink?' ( Irabeth was her mother by blood. She'd never be Alice's mom. And she drank every second of every day, as far as Alice knew.) ' Did your mother have enemies?' ( A better question would be ' Can anyone stand Irabeth?') Blah Blah Blah... But Alice was ready for the big one. ' Did you see who started the fire?' Alice smirked at the fat cop across the table from her.

" Lizzie." The officer did a double take, looking through his file.

" Lizzie..." He prompted her. She leaned forward, smiled playing on her lips, voice dropping to just above a whisper.

" Why, Little Lizzie Liddell, of course." The cop gave her a strange look, then flipped through his file.

" Your deceased sister? The one that drowned?" Alice, nodded.

" The very same. But I bet your little report here, doesn't say that Irabeth Liddell held her down. Or that everyone said Alice Liddell was nuts when she said the she saw Irabeth do it." She retorted, flicking the file for emphasis. She sat back again. " She'd be twelve this May, you know?" Alice ran a hand through her hair, trapped in the memory. " I tried to stop her. That bitch- she just wouldn't. When I tried to pull Lizzie up-" Alice cleared her throat, forcing the tears back. You'd better not. The guy probably already thinks you're cuckoo. Don't fucking let your guard down. " She hit me- kicked me- threw me in too- damn. I got five scars that day, not counting cigarette burns." Alice never counted the ciggy burns. She still remembered the The cop sighed.

" Miss Liddell. Are you suggesting that your dead little sister started the fire?" Alice nodded, 100% serious.

" Ever heard of a thing called Revenge? When someone dies, they might come back, if their need for revenge is strong enough. And you know, if I died right here, right now, I'd be perfectly happy. Lizzie got revenge for both of us. That bitch can't hurt either of us now."

" Oh?"

" Of course. Lizzie was a good girl. She didn't deserve her draw of the deck. And now, she be at peace while Irabeth get what she deserves. Eternal damnation in the deepest ring of Hell." Alice smiled. She yawned. " Can we be done now? I'm exhausted."

" Uh- huh. Sure." The cop stood, leading Alice to a room. For once, Alice slept perfectly fine. No dreams, no nightmares. No memories.

She didn't wake up until almost noon. When she finally did, she felt more rested than she had since before she could remember. Speaking of remembering- She stuck her hand in her pocket, feeling for the caterpillar. There he was. She sighed, positive it must be dead. Sure enough, it wiggled in her hand. She looked down on it, laying flat on her hand. She held her breath, wondering if she'd imagined it moving. Hell yeah. Guess who saved a bug. Lizzie would have loved this. She thought, smiling as the smoke stunned animal started moving, as if woken from sleep instead of death. If only Lizzie had been able to do that...

" Hello Alice, I'm Dr. Hatrick Maddison." The shrink started with. Alice sighed, down on the leather couch. " Would you mind telling me why you think you're here?" Alice hesitated. Maddison noticed. " Don't worry, everything in here is completely confidential." Alice still didn't say anything. She stared at Dr. Hatrick Maddison. He was tall, maybe four- four and a half inches taller than her, putting him at about 5' 11'' 6' tops. His hair was bright red.

" Is his hair naturally that color?" It took her a moment to register that she'd said it aloud. It took that long for the Dr. to chuckle quietly.

" Yes it is." He said while Alice blushed. She looked looked at the floor for a moment. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't so young. He couldn't have been older than 23. There was no way. " So? Care to talk?" Alice took a moment to recover.

" Uh- yeah. What was the question again?" She glanced up, avoiding his emerald eyes.

" Why do you think you're here?" He asked again soothingly, like he was talking to a child. Alice didn't like being talked to like that, but she nodded.

" Because the cops think I might be nuts 'cuz I say my sister started the fire, even though she was drowned. They don't believe that either."

" That she drowned?"

" That she was drowned by Irabeth." Alice looked straight into his eyes as she said this.

After an hour of talking about her shitty life, Alice and the therapist talked about some options.

" Well, I think your problem is deep rooted, Miss Liddell. There are a few ways we could go about this. We could try daily visits. You'll come here everyday for an hour or two. Or there's weekly meeting with some prescriptions. Finally, we can try hypnosis.

" How's that work?" Alice asked.

" Very simple. You'll come in, and we'll hypnotize you, I'm sure you know how that works." Alice nodded. " And while you're asleep, you'll answer questions more truthfully than when you are awake." He went into more detail, but Alice zoned out.

" Let's try that first."


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry I haven't been updating! My computer has been being stupid. I've uploaded two today, and I might put up another tomorrow, if I can. Thank for understanding! Now, On With The Story!

" Now, Alice, I want you to take three deep breaths, then open your eyes." Alice obeyed. _One. Two. Three. _She was staring at a small silver watch. " Don't move your head, just follow the watch with your eyes." Maddison's voice instructed quietly, delicately. The watch started moving slowly. " And remember to breath." He said, quieter still.

It seemed like she watched the watch swing for weeks, even though it was probably only a minute or so. Slowly, her heavy eyes slipped shut.

" Alice, do you remember your dad?" Lizzie asked suddenly, looking up from her book. Alice tensed, looking into her sister's bright blue eyes.

" Nah."

" Do you remember mine?" Alice bit her lip. She nodded.

" You look exactly like him. Except you have more freckles." Alice said, pushing Lizzie's hair back out of her face. " And you act like him a lot. You both love bugs, and reading. You even like the same colors." Alice felt dreadful about lying, but she would feel worse about telling the truth. Lizzie had resulted from a one night stand with some scum from the bar, just like Alice.

" Irabeth says my daddy was a drunk son of a bitch and she only had me because he paid her." Alice's eyes widened.

" Don't listen to her. She doesn't tell the truth a lot. and don't ever tell people what she told you, okay?" Lizzie nodded.

" What if a firefighter asks?" Alice smiled a little.

" Then you can tell him." The door slammed shut. Irabeth wandered in, mumbling under her breath.

" Where's that damned lighter?!" She yelled. Alice went to get it. She was only gone for a few seconds. But that was enough.

Lizzie screamed, then there was a splash. Alice ran to the bathroom, where she froze in horror. Irabeth was holding Lizzie under the water, screaming something and shaking the small body. Alice couldn't move as Lizzie struggled for breath, choking and gasping as Irabeth pulled her back to the surface, but for only a moment. Adrenaline kicked in and Alice ran to help her, but it was too late.

" Don't dawdle, Alice."

" Get me some beer."

" Don't let minors."

" I'll kill her."

" Boom."

Cuts, burns, bruises.

_Going to be worth it._

Damn lighter-

Caterpillar-

_She'd gotten away with it._

Alice's eyes snapped open. She couldn't breath, and sweat was beading her forehead. She gasped for breath, trying to remember where she was. She was met with Hatrick holding out a glass of water. Her head was pounding to match the quick thumping of her heart. The doctor looked at her worriedly as she took a sip of the cool water.

" That sucked." She said quietly, trying to lighten the mood. She was silently freaking out, and the doctor's thoughtful gaze wasn't helping. " What?" She asked, searching his face for some expression. He looked pale, even for him. _Maybe he should be the one taking a drink. _

" Doctor?" His green eyes seemed to see through her. She stood. " Dr. Maddison." She said, louder this time. She put her hand on his shoulder, shaking lightly. " Hatrick." He jumped a little, turning to face her.

" Uh- yes, uh." He rubbed the back of his head. Alice looked on nervously.

" What did I say?" She whispered.

" I'm so sorry."

" What?" Alice was getting frantic. _What the hell did I say? He probably knows. I probably told him I planned it. He's going to send me to jail. Fuck. What did I say?_

" Your sister." He said, almost like he was ashamed. Relief flooded over Alice. She sighed, finally breaking eye contact. " I understand why you did it." He said a little louder. Alice absently picked at his suit, closing her eyes tightly. She swallowed over the lump in her throat.

" You gonna send me to jail then?"

" Well, I don't feel like you're a danger to anyone else. And no one else knows about it." Alice looked back up at him, surprised. " So as far as anyone will know, you're just upset about losing your favorite toy in the fire." He smiled down at her. After half a second of processing, Alice hugged him. She didn't mean to, but- _Is he hugging me back? Does he- No. Of course not. He's just-_

" Thank you." She whispered. Somewhere inside, some voice was screaming at her that this was wrong. This shouldn't be happening. But it was. And she didn't really care what that voice thought. She took a step back, smile fading. " So I'm off to a home then?" Maddison nodded, sighing.

" But you'll still need to visit every once in awhile, just so I can be sure." Alice nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

Kingsley Home for the Wayward was unnervingly quiet. Alice wouldn't see anyone when she pushed open the door. To her right, stairs ascended, her left, a door which she assumed was a closet. She stepped in further to allow the cop to move past followed him through the silent house down a short hall into a living room. They took a right to enter an office. An old man sat behind a desk. He motioned the cop and her to sit opposite him. Alice looked at him wearily as she took a seat. He had dark hair, styled in an ancient looking style, with dark green eyes that seemed almost familiar.

" You must be Alice. I am White, Victor White." He said quietly. Alice nodded once in response. Mr. White said some things that she immediately forgot, mostly rules. Then he turned his attention to the policeman, and Alice tuned out completely. She looked around. Books lined most of the walls, there was a potted plant on a high table in the corner. Alice paused when she saw the taxidermy rabbit on an empty 's glass eyes stared at her. Alice lost track of things, staring at the red glass iris.

The cop pulled her out of the daze by clearing his throat.

" What? Sorry." Alice said quickly, hoping she wasn't screwing up White's first impression of her.

" You may take your things up to your room now."

" Oh. Thanks." She quickly exited the office, though she had nothing to bring up to her room, wherever that was. Instead of finding her room, she decided to explore the house, just for a while. " To familiarize myself, since I'll be here a few weeks at least." She told herself. She found the kitchen, a bathroom, two closets. No people. The next room she entered seemed huge. Bookshelves filled to the brim with books. A whole maze of them. Alice read some of the titles as she went along, though she didn't recognize any of them. As she turned a corner, there was a tremendous crash.

" Ow, damn!" Alice froze for a moment, deciding whether to continue or not. Curiosity got the cat, as they say, and she rounded the next corner. Turns out a bookshelf had fallen. A guy was trying to push the shelf up again. Glancing up, he spoke. " A little help?" Alice could only nod and move to help him. Together the pair lifted the surprisingly heavy bookshelf. " I assume you're little."

" Excuse me?" Alice wasn't a skyscraper, but she didn't think herself short. " Five five is a very comfortable height, thank you." She snapped. The guy laughed. Even though she was mad at him for being rude, she had to admit that his laugh was great. Of course, she'd only admit it to herself, silently.

" I'm sure it is. But what I meant was you're Liddell. Alice Liddell, right?" Alice's cheeks got warm and she looked at the ground as the bookshelf was finally righted. She got a chance to look up at him. His black converse, grey jeans and striped shirt seemed dull compared to his eyes. Electric blue, with a darker ring at the outside edge of his iris. She'd never seen such blond hair, at least not naturally, and thought that it probably looked lighter because of the dark and bright purple streaks. He held out his hand, smiling still.

" Nice to meet you. I'm Chester Huntington. Most people call me Chess." Alice shook his hand slowly.

" Chess? What kind of a nickname is that?" Her hand flew to her mouth. " Shit, I didn't mean to say that. Sorry." Chess laughed again. She glared up at him, embarrassed. Even so, she had to hold back a smile. _Damn. I wonder if he knows that his laugh is contagious. _He stepped forward and turned a bit to throw his arm around her shoulders. She flinched, But he either didn't notice or chose to ignore it.

" Let me show you." He steered her away from the mess of books from the fallen shelf.

" But wh-" He seemed to read her mind.

" I'll pick 'em up later. White won't mind me giving you a tour." Alice tried to think of an excuse to not let him lead her- wherever.

" A- actually, I should be getting back." She stammered. They hadn't stopped walking and Alice was lost. It wasn't a good thing to put a directionally challenged person in a maze of any sort, and it was worse to be in a maze and flustered. The air seemed to get heavy as they stopped, Chester's smile falling.

" Yeah, uh, maybe later then." He looked like a child that had been scolded as he turned. Guilt hit Alice hard. _Strange. I don't usually care whether I've offended people._

" Well, I guess I could spare a minute." She said slowly. Chess' smile reappeared as he seized her hand and led on. The heavy feeling dissipated as the continued, and for that Alice was grateful. After a minute or so, he pulled her through a door. The floor was checkered black and white marble, or something of that sort. The wall to their right was a painting of what seemed like flowers or something. The wall ahead was covered in cards, Ace of Spades to King of Hearts, over and over to cover every inch, save the window. The wall to their left was a mirror. Alice looked at herself, holey jacket, greasy black hair hanging limply almost to her elbows, so many scars. Her green eyes still sparkled though, shined with defiance. It was a weird sight to see, and Alice didn't even want to imagine what Mr. White, or Dr. Maddison, or Chess thought. She couldn't get further into the thought before Chester pulled open a cupboard, hidden by the flower painting. He rooted around momentarily before pulling out a square tale and a little box. As he got closer to the middle of the room, she noticed it was a chess board. The puzzle solved itself, but Alice decided to play along, just to see.

" Wow." Was all Alice could manage. She'd been beaten in three moves. Chess smiled.

" And now you know." He said, putting the pieces back into the little box. " You said you needed to get back to White?" He asked, or said maybe. Alice couldn't tell if it was a question or a statement.

" Uh, yeah. I guess I'll see you later." She said, starting for the door.

As expected, she got lost in the library. The sun was dipping under the skyline when she found her way out again. When she did, the cop and Mr. White were standing in the livingroom.

" Ah there you are. We were getting worried." The cop said.

" Sorry." Alice lied. She didn't care what he thought, or whether he worried or not. " I wanted to look around a bit. you don't mind, do you?" She asked, more directed to Victor.

" Not at all my dear girl. In fact, I had anticipated a little curiosity on your part. I know how hard it can be to move to a new place." Alice nodded. The cop tipped his hat and strode for the door. " Tell me, what did you see?" Victor asked.

" Well, I found the kitchen. And your library is beautiful." She said.

" Yes, yes. I'm very proud of my library. Have you see your room, yet?" Alice shook her head.

" I haven't been upstairs." White immediately stood and led the way to the stairs, which were narrow, and up to the second floor. There were about six doors on the hall, how many were rooms, she didn't know.

" This is your room. Girls sleep on this level, boys a floor above. Boys aren't allowed in girls' rooms after eight. Same for girls in boys' rooms." Alice nodded, stepping into her room. It was modest, not that she needed much, and white. white walls, an empty bookshelf, a white bed with delicate flower patterns on the comforter. " There's paint in the closet so you can decorate the walls how you wish, but the bedding is all we have at the moment."

" It's great, thank you." Alice looked at her shoes. " Uh, am I allowed to get a job or something so I can earn some money while I'm here? I don't have any more clothes."

" Don't you worry about that. I'll have someone take you into town tomorrow." White said. He grabbed the door handle. " Dinner will be ready in an hour. You can get settled, have a look around, whatever you need until then." And he was gone. Alice went straight to the closet. There was more than paint in there. A plastic floor cover, a whole box of brushes, covers for the bed and bookshelf. There was also some stencils and pencils and such. She moved the bed, with some trouble, and covered it. She went to work with the pencil to crudely outline what she wanted on the wall. It wasn't so much that she liked drawing or even painting, but the look of the white walls made the room feel almost like a padded asylum room she'd seen in many a movie.

A/N Meeting everyone in the next chapter! We're also getting really close to going to Wonderland!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N Hey, so this chapter contains a few diifferent points of view ( I'm playing with the characters and such)...

Shikoba's POV is underlined, Carola's is bolded, Alice's is normal...

Thanks for reading!

Alice stood awkwardly just inside the dining room door. There were four people at the table, Chester was the only one she recognised. He had his nose in a book. There were two strikingly similar girls at the end of the table, paying Alice no notice and talking quietly to each other. They both had short red hair, their outfits negative opposites. There was also a younger boy with shaggy black hair. She couldn't see his face because he was turned away from her, appearing to be asleep. Finally, there was a blond girl, her hands folded, sitting at the far corner. She was humming quietly to herself and looking at the tablecloth.

" Everyone." Alice jumped. When did he show up? " This is Alice." White said. Everyone looked at her. Even the sleeping boy was shaken awake. " Say hello."

" Hello Alice." They all said in unison. The blond in the corner was a little behind, giving the short sentence an echo effect.

" This is Chester Albon Lennox- Huntington." White said, motioning to Chess.

" I'm not a Lennox any more." He said. Victor took no notice.

" This is Carola Ulla and Aleksandra Lucja Theadle." The twins waved, unsmiling. White motioned to the right side of the table. " This is Shikoba Isi Nuka Gabi Doore." He nodded, holding up a hand. " And finally, Odette Mirel Liyvre." The blond nodded, not looking at her. Alice, after some prompting by White, sat between Shikoba and Odette. She picked at the plate in front of her, not hungry. There was next to no conversation, which didn't bother her. But the quiet seemed tense.

" Can I be excused?" She asked when she couldn't stand it any longer. White nodded and she was quick to retreat to her new room.

" Alice, you're very very late, it's time to come back to us." The voice echoed in the mistiness. She turned to where she thought the voice was coming from. She walked slowly, watching her step on the rocky terrain. " Alice, are you good at riddles?"

" I don't know."

It wasn't unusual for Shikoba to wander the house at night. He slept a lot, and when he wasn't sleeping, he usually just wandered. What was unusual, was seeing someone else up at 2:30 in the AM. She walked slowly through the hall on the second story.

" What are you doing up?" He asked, stepping closer.

" I don't know." Alice mumbled -at least, he thought her name was Alice. After all, hers was the most normal of anyone in the house- but maybe 'Alice' came from a dream and hers was something else.

" Do you have sleep problems too?" She seemed to ignore him, which was slightly rude in his opinion, and continued walking. She was walking toward him, and as she neared, he saw why she'd ignored him. Fear paralyzed him for a moment. The last sleep walker he'd known had woken him up, attacked him with a knife and then jumped off a bridge. Suffice to say he had fine reason to pause. After the moment of freaking out, he took a step and grabbed her wrist. Shikoba didn't know her, or what she might do, but he wouldn't -couldn't let her stay asleep and walking.

" Wake up." He shook her arm.

" Tell me, why are ravens and writing desks alike?" Alice could feel a pressure on her wrist, like someone had grabbed her, but when she looked, there was nothing. After a moment, the invisible hand tightened. " Well, Alice." The voice that had come from the mist became more forceful, more menacing. She took a step back, trying to pull her hand away.

" Come on, wake up." Shikoba said, slightly louder. Alice took a step book. He was just about to pulled her back when a door opened.

**" What's with the ruckus?" Carola asked. She had been woken by a voice, and naturally went to investigate. What she saw when she opened the door made her scream.**

Alice took another step back, still trying to get away from whatever it was that had her arm. As she stepped back, she had the sudden feeling of weightlessness. That was when she realized that she must be flying.

Shikoba lost his grip. Alice went flying back. After what seemed like minutes there was a loud crash as her body connected with the stairs. He couldn't think, couldn't react. Someone was screaming. He watched the girl's body tumble down the steep flight of stairs.

**When Carola got her senses back, she rushed forward. By now, Victor was arriving.**

**" What the devil-" He couldn't even finish.**

**" Koba- he pushed her." She said, half surprised, half terrified. She'd known him for so long, it was crazy to think he was capable of what just happened. As everyone else emerged from their rooms, all eyes were on Shikoba. Victor seized the dark haired boy and dragged him to the closet. Shikoba was silent, though struggling. There was no protest as Victor locked the door, then quickly ran to look at Alice, who'd finally reached the bottom of the stairs.**

Alice fell for such a long time. At first she'd thought she was flying, then quickly recognized that she had little control, meaning she must be falling. After a time, things started to show up. At first, it was just little objects, like a childrens' book or a jar of jelly. They were few and far between. Then larger things, a chair or a small dresser. Alice marveled at how much stuff was falling with her. Since there seemed to be no end to the fall, she picked up book.

" The three bears? Boring." She said, tossing it aside. There was an oddly familiar tea set sitting on a dresser. She could tell by the smell that it was mint tea, her favorite. By the time she finished the cup, she saw an ending to the fall. " I thought this was never going to end." She said, somewhat disappointed that she wasn't going to have the weightless feeling for much longer. " Then again, I'll probably die on impact." She reasoned. Something she'd learned from experience- things speed up as they fall. To her surprise, she landed rather lightly. She stood in a hall of doors. She had a strange sense of Deja Vu as she walked down to the small glass table. She saw the bottle labeled 'Drink Me', but she stopped herself. " You'd have to be pretty stupid to think I'd drink something without knowing where I am, and where it came from." She said to no one. She walked around to the doors, trying the handles. All were locked. " Damn, need a key." She hadn't seen a key. Thinking of where most people kept keys, she checked the tops of the doorframes, at least the ones she could reach, and that proved useless. " Guess I'm waiting for someone to pass through." She thought aloud.

It seemed no time at all before someone walked down the hall. At first, Alice thought it was some sort of creature made of cloth-like material. That was before she noticed the ugly head attached. Still, the woman walked in a queenly manor, and Alice was already tired of the stupid hall of doors, so she approached.

" Excuse me, how do you get out of here?" The hag looked at her like she was stupid, then stuck up her nose and continued on. Alice watched her pick door on the left hand side. She lifted a necklace out of her mass of clothing and held it against the door for a moment before the door swung open. The woman hurried through the door and yanked it shut before Alice could stop it. The thunk echoed through the hall of doors. Alice sighed. Alone again.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N Sorry this one's short... Guess who's behind in their writing!

" Are you lost, miss?" Alice turned to see a girl. She was pale, her blonde hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. She seemed normal enough, which came as a surprise to Alice, since she'd pretty much expected everyone to look as ugly as the first woman. The girl cocked her head to the side. " Hello? Miss?" Alice was jerked back to reality- or whatever this place was.

" Where are we?" The girl straightened her simple yellow dress casually.

" The hall of entrances, obviously." Alice sighed.

" No, I mean where? Like, a city." The strange girl gave her an odd look.

" Everywhere. This is the hall of entrances, it leads to almost all of the Heartland's main cities and buildings." She looked at the watch on her wrist. " Excuse me, I'm late."

" How do I get out?" Alice yelled after her as she ran on down the hall. She barely heard the last sentence.

" With your arm." Her arm? Alice let out a frustrated string of words. She had no clue what to do, so she might as well try the arm thing, right? She walked to a door and felt along the ornately carved wood. Nothing. She knocked. Still nothing. She waved her arms and did random gestures. Even more nothing. In a fit of rage, she attacked the door, pounding on it with her fists. A clank drew her back to her senses. She looked at the floor, where her lighter had fallen.

" I forgot about that." She mumbled, picking it up. " Too bad it's empty, maybe I could have set the door on fire." She laughed at the improbability. There was a click from the door. Or maybe it's an echo. Alice reminded herself, not allowing herself to get her hopes up. Even so, she held her breath as she turned the knob. " Well shit, what did I do to make it open?" She wondered aloud. No matter, she'd get more answers later. Presently, she needed to know where the hell she was. She stepped through the door onto a dirt path that led through a field directly toward a humongous house. There was a large iron gate connected to a stone wall that seemed to circle the checkered mansion. The color choice, light blue and dark green, worked surprisingly well together. Alice, being from a shit hole neighborhood in a shit hole town, had to spend a few moments staring in awe. Snapping the lighter open, then closed, she started walking for the door, opening the gate just enough to get through.


	7. Chapter 7

" I wouldn't recommend Doobroves. And the Wizzpocks aren't very fond of strangers." Alice jumped. " Jesus Christ. Where'd you come from?" The dark hair man smiled at her.

" Cheshire's have a knack for being where people need them, Alice."

" Cheshire? So, you're a lord then?"

" Precisely. And as a lord, I know my people. Believe me, if you come talk with me over tea, you'll be quite less confused." Alice thought it over.

" Fine. But, I want a weapon, as insurance that you won't hurt my." He chuckled.

" You're still cautious, I see. That might be important. Here." He unhooked a bracelet from his wrist.

" What am I supposed to do with this?" She sneered.

" It's my one and only weapon."

" But this isn't a weapon. It's a bracelet." He gave Alice a soft smile.

" Oh Alice, you have missed so much. Come." He turned and started walking.

" And you think I've been here before?" Cheshire nodded as he took a sip of tea.

" Had you not, you would not have been able to find my house. And even if you had, my plants would have eaten you." He said as if man eating plants were normal. Alice was still entirely confused, but she was more interested in the bracelet.

" Okay. Now, how is this a weapon?"

" Ah, well, each Wonderlandian has one weapon. This can be nearly anything, disguised as nearly anything. All you have to do is summon it."

" And I do that how?"

" The first time is always the hardest, but afterward, all you have to do is think about it."

" And how do I know what my weapon is." He sighed, setting the cup down.

" We will just have to find out tomorrow." Alice sighed.

" Well that sucks." A servant came out of the house with more cakes. Though she was famished, Alice lost her appetite when she saw some excess scales fall onto the cakes. Still, she thanked the lizard girl before she left.

Alice and Cheshire spent the rest of the day discussing most everything in Wonderland, which had now been renamed to the Heartlands when the new king took over. As night fell upon the Cheshire house, Alice was given a tour of the house. Everything seemed normal, if slightly larger. Her room though, her room was amazing. The bed was soft and warm, the walls a pale lavender. There was an intricate draft screen just to the left of the huge wardrobe. On the opposite side of the room was a door that lead to the bathroom. Alice thanked Cheshire and pulled out some sweatpants and a large t-shirt. She went to take a shower. Out of habit, she took everything out of the pockets. The broken lighter, the caterpillar, some spare change. She left them all on the counter.

Alice slept beautifully. It was bright when she finally climbed out of bed. As she walked downstairs, she realized just how ornate practically everything was. Even the floor had shallow grooves the twisted and swooped in a way that mimicked smoke. She admired the many candelabras that climbed the walls like ivy. The stroll to the kitchen was stalled even more by Alice's need to see everything. She looked in most of the closed doors, briefly, for the most part.

" Excuse me, Mistress?" Alice looked down to see the same lizard girl from last night.

" You can call me Alice, you know."

" Lord Cheshire says we must address everyone with proper titles." Alice sighed.

" Of course he does." She said under her breath. "Did you have something to say to me?"

" Lord Cheshire requests your presence in the garden after you have eaten and changed. He also said to bring anything that came with you from your world." Alice nodded.

" Thanks. What's your name?" The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

" Seera, Mistress." Alice smiled.

" Thank you, Seera."

A light breakfast and ten minutes of searching for something Alice was comfortable wearing later, she walked into the garden, carrying the lighter and change. She hadn't been able to find the caterpillar.

" Good morning, I trust you slept well." Cheshire said. He was sitting at the table with someone. He had blue hair, and she could only see one purple eye because the other was shadowed by the hood he wore.

" Who's this?" Alice asked.

" They call me Dutch. I'm here to help you figure out what your Arma is." Alice looked to Cheshire for an explanation.

" Your weapon." He stated simply. Dutch stood.

" How did you get here."

" I'm not sure. I fell, I guess." She said, keeping an eye on him as he slowly circled her.

" You fell, onto the Lord's front step?" His tone was edging on dangerous.

" No, I fell into the hall. With lots of doors. Why do you care?" He stopped walking.

" Then explain. How did you get to this house?" Alice shrugged. She got a sense of foreboding, looking at the stranger. " You must have done something. Think, girl."

" I don't understand why this is relevant." Alice looked away, her heart beat faster as his voice became more aggressive.

" It's not your job to understand relevance. Just tell me how the fuck you got here."

" I went through a door."

" How?" He yelled. Alice felt something snap. Her apprehension fell away, leaving the anger.

" How the hell should I know? It's not like I memorized what I did." Dutch threw his hands up, turning away from her.

" I knew it. The bitch probably doesn't even have one. She's too stupid." There was suddenly a weight in Alice's hand. Without thinking, she charged forward. She swung to hit Dutch, but before her new weapon connected, she was pushed back. Landing on the ground, she looked up to glare at him. With a smirk, he put down his hood and stepped toward her. "That, that was perfect." He said, extending a hand.

" What the hell? How was that perfect?" Alice snapped.

" You've found your Arma, haven't you?" He pointing to her right. The weapon was a spiked club.

" I haven't seen a morning star in a long long time." Cheshire added. Alice looked at it, it seemed too simple. Still, she reached out to grab it.

" How did that happen?" She asked, looking up at the Lord.

" You could call it magic." He said casually. Alice stood.

" What if I don't like it?" Dutch walked back over to the table and gathered a teacup and cake.

" You change it, obviously." He spoke through the cake.

" From now on, if you think of a weapon you need, your Arma will become it. But I wouldn't recommend changing things too much. Once you find one you like, stick to it."

" Why?" Cheshire seemed to become more serious.

" These things have souls, Alice. It is our duty to keep them safe and happy. If you change it too often, your Arma may not be there when you need it." He turned. " Thank you for your help, Dutch. Tell your mother I send my regards." Dutch nodded as he walked to the house.

" How do I make it go back to normal?" Alice asked after a few moments of silence.

" Think about it." Alice pictured the change and lighter, since she wasn't sure which was the weapon. Almost immediately, the lighter appeared in her hand where the morning star had been.


End file.
